David Bakhtiari To Chicago? It's Becoming An Option

It isn't a secret the Chicago Bears need help for their offensive line. GM Ryan Poles expects to be active on the veteran market looking for help, prioritizing pass protection for Justin Fields. The free agent market does have some intriguing options but no stars. That isn't surprising. Stars rarely become available without some underlying reason. Here is where David Bakhtiari comes into play. Not too long ago, people would've laughed at the idea of the Green Bay Packers giving up their All-Pro left tackle.

Things have changed. Another salary cap crunch looms for the Packers. They are $16 million over the salary cap. Moves must be made to fix this issue before they can handle other business this off-season. Contract expert Brad Spielberger of Pro Football Focus believes there is a real possibility the team parts ways with Bakhtiari, who missed six games in 2022 thanks to lingering knee issues from the torn ACL in late 2020. Having two young prospects, Yosh Nijman and Zach Tom, ready to step in likely furthers this idea.

"GREEN BAY PACKERS: LT DAVID BAKHTIARI

Salary Cap Details: $23,131,031 dead money, $5,722,718 cap savings

This will be a momentous decision for the Packers, which may be impacted by quarterback Aaron Rodgers‘ decision to either return for another title run or seek a trade. Bakhtiari is unquestionably one of the best pass protectors in the entire NFL when healthy — he earned a near-elite 87.8 pass-blocking grade in 2022, which was his lowest mark since 2015 — but his knee injury effectively warrants a daily status update at this point, which may make it hard to justify paying him $17.5 million in 2023 after logging 624 total snaps over the past two seasons."

The Bears could not ignore David Bakhtiari.

Yes, the knee questions are perfectly valid. Is he capable of playing a full season again? The good news is that when he did play last year, he looked like his old self. He is 31 years old. That might not fit the timeline for a rebuilding team like Chicago, but great tackles can often play well into their 30s. There is the obvious connection to Luke Getsy, who coached in Green Bay for several seasons. He knows the type of offense the Bears run. Last but not least, they can easily afford his contract demands.

Many fans will argue Braxton Jones is the left tackle. This is true. The rookie was solid. However, his pass protection isn't on the same level as David Bakhtiari. At least not right now. Chicago could put him on the left side and perhaps shift Jones to right tackle. He has more than enough athleticism to handle such a change. That would allow Poles to focus more on the interior going into the draft. If nothing else, this would present the Bears with another option. Their offensive line was among the NFL's worst in pass protection. Bakhtiari would help solve that problem. Again, if healthy.